LeBron James sends son Bronny message of advice from Team USA London practice

Bronny James is growing into Summer League with every passing game.

The eldest son of NBA legend LeBron James was selected with the 55th pick in this year’s draft by his father’s team and is currently honing his skills with the purple and gold in the Las Vegas showcase.

The 19-year-old started off Summer League ice cold, going 0-15 from beyond the arc during his first few games.

However, the two-way guard bounced back with two excellent performances in a row.

On Wednesday, the former USC star scored 12 points — his highest in the NBA Summer League to that point — shooting 5 of 11 from the field in an 87-86 win over the Hawks.

He followed that up on Thursday with 13 points in a 93-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, finishing the game by making 5 of 10 shots, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range. He also had five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Those are encouraging signs for the youngster, who was all but written off by fans during his first few Summer League games.

Dad LeBron, who is currently in London with Team USA ahead of exhibition games against South Sudan and Germany before the 2024 Olympics, is pleased with what he’s seen from Bronny over the past two games but maintains he still has a long way to go.

“The most important thing for him is that he continues to get better and better every day,” told a room of reporters, including talkSPORT.

“Games, practices, film sessions, individual workouts. I mean, he’s 19 year’s old, so he has so much room to grow and so much more to learn. But the best thing is if he just keeps his head down and stays focused the work will pay off.

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“As a family we’re obviously just proud of the fact he’s even at this point, so the best will continue to come as he continues to work and continues to get better.”

Bronny has had his fair share of critics over his fledgling career.

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was at one of his games recently and was caught saying he didn’t think Bronny has what it takes to be an NBA pro.

James Jr. only averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his lone season in college with the Trojans last year, and went into cardiac arrest during a workout last summer.

The younger James is unlikely to ever be a team’s No.1 option like his four-time NBA champion dad, but he has shown flashes of promise on the defensive side of the ball and his latest shooting performances are promising to say the least.

Defense is where he can really excel though, and even admitted he primarily views himself as a defensively-minded player who can complement more offensively skilled teammates.

“I watch a lot of Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White,” the 19-year-old said at the NBA Draft Combine.

“The guys that excel in their role and are locked into what they’re supposed to do. My goal isn’t really to be ‘that guy.’ There’s a lot of guys in the NBA that have that role already.”

After being drafted, Bronny signed a rookie deal for four years worth $7.9 million, with a team option for the fourth season – an unusually lucrative deal for the 55th pick in the draft.

He will likely have to spend some time in the NBA’s development G League, like many of the Lakers’ rookies, before he’s NBA ready.

Before that, though, he will play in the Lakers’ final Summer League game on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.